Materials and articles are subject to stain by certain natural and artificial colorants found in foods and other consumer products. The addition of stain resistant characteristics to articles provides a more desirable end product for the consumer.
One method of imparting stain resistance to fibers containing free amino groups is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,699,812. U.S. Pat. No. 4,699,812 discloses a process for imparting stain resistance in which a solution of aliphatic sulfonic acid is applied to the fibers, which are then dried.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,592,940 discloses a process for imparting stain resistance to nylon fibers, in which the fibers are treated with the condensation products of formaldehyde and a mixture of diphenolsulfone and phenolsulfonic acid. The fibers are treated by immersing carpet in the boiling treatment solution at a pH of 4.5 or less.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,822,373 discloses a process for treating polyamide materials in which a fibrous polyamide substrate is treated with a combination of (a) a partially sulfonated phenol formaldehyde polymer and (b) polymethacrylic acid, copolymers of methacrylic acid, or combinations of polymethacrylic acid and copolymers of methacrylic acid. The solution is generally applied as an aqueous solution at a pH below about 7.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,940,757 discloses a stain resistant polymeric composition for fibers having polyamide linkages. The composition is prepared by polymerizing a substituted acrylic acid in the presence of a sulfonated aromatic condensation polymer. The composition is applied to the substrate via flood, spray, foam methods, etc.
Additionally, U.S. Pat. No. 3,949,124 discloses a method and composition of imparting soil-repellency and antistatic properties. The reference discloses the pretreatment of a substrate with a material containing the condensation products of formaldehyde and another component chosen from a wide variety and long list, some of which are sulfonated phenol, diaryl sulfone, urea, melamine and dicayndiamide, followed by heat treatment and application of a separate composition containing, as one ingredient, a water-dispersible polyester and amino polymer followed by another heat treatment.
Despite existing methods for imparting stain resistance to an article, there still exists a need for compositions and methods that provide better stain resistance, while at the same time impart other beneficial properties such as liquid repellency and enhanced antimicrobial activity to an article. One approach is to deliver aluminum to the article. Although it is known in the art to treat fibers with aluminum salts, this approach has numerous disadvantages. For example, the aluminum salt can be readily removed from the fiber after washing or prolonged physical contact. This ultimately reduces the durability of the article. Additionally, it is only possible to deliver a limited amount of aluminum salt to the article. Aluminum salts are generally used as coagulants. Therefore, when the aluminum salt is used in combination with a polymer, the aluminum salts will coagulate the polymer, which ultimately reduces the efficiency of delivering the aluminum to the article. Thus, there is a need for compositions and methods for delivering high amounts of aluminum to an article, wherein the aluminum remains on the article for an extended period of time so that the article possesses increased stain resistance, liquid repellency, and antimicrobial activity as well as increased durability. The compositions and methods described herein possess these advantages.